Combination latch and lock



Feb. 25, 1941.

B. THIELE COMBINATION LATCH AND LQCK Filed Oct. 8, 1938 2/ INVENTQR.

aW'KhOLD mien ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 25, 1941 2,233,115 COMBINATION LATCH AND LOCK BertholdThiele, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to E. It. Wagner ManufacturingCompany, Milwaukee, Wis, a, corporation of Wisconsin Application OctoberS, 1938, Serial No. 233,948

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a combined latch and lock especially adaptedfor containers or boxes such as jewelry boxes or the like although alsocapable of practical universal application.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which is extremely simple and compact in construction,reliable and effective in operation, attractive in appearance, readilyapplied to a box or container or other similar article, and susceptibleof economical manufacture from materials by means and facilitiesordinarily available.

In carrying out the invention the number of parts employed are reducedto the very minimum, in fact the device pro-per comprises only threeelements, namely, a casing, a sliding latching bolts, and a spring whichis so constituted and so combined with the casing and with the latchingbolt as to serve not only as a spring for biasing the latching bolt tolatching position but also as a tumbler'adapted to coact' with a key andas a dog for holding the latching bolt against movement when the springis shifted to locking position. Of course, a hook or catch is providedon one of the parts of the box or container or other article tocooperate with the,

latching bolt.

Other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of theconstruction-arrangement, and combination of parts which will behereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in theappended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forminga part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in front elevation illustrating acombined latch and lock embodying the present invention applied to thesections of a box;

Figure 2 is a view of the device in front elevation with the front plateof the casing removed and with a portion of a key illustrated partly insection and partly in elevation, ,the spring being shown in the positionto dog or look the latching bolt;

Figure 3 is a view in rear elevation of the front section of the casing;

Figure 4 is a view in transverse vertical section taken on line 4-4 ofFigure 2;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2 but illustrating the springmember as disposed to constitute the device a latch, the latching boltbeing illustrated in latching position; and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but illustrating the latchingbolt retracted to releasing position.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral I designates the body of a box andthe numeral 2 the lid thereof. The casing 5 is fashioned from sheetmetal and is in the form of a plate 4 (Cl. YO-70) having a body portion6 and lateral extensions 1 from the upper part of the body portion, themargin of the body portion and extensions being formed with a continuousinwardly depressed bead or edge 8 so that when the plate 4 is applied tothe front wall of the body I of the box its body portion 6 andextensions 1 will be spaced slightly therefrom except for the bead 8, asillustrated in Figure 4. The plate 4 may be secured in any suitablemanner to the body but preferably it is fastened in position by prongs 9which are formed integral with the lateral extensions 1 and driventhrough the material of the box and then clinched over as shown inFigure 4. structure and is also fashioned from a sheet metal plate andhas a flat wall ll provided with an inwardly directed marginal flange l2which spaces the front wall II from the rear wall 6. The front Wall IIhas the dimensions and outline of the body portion 6 of the back plateand it is secured to the back plate by means of metal tabs I3 which areintegral with the flange l2, pass through slots M in the plate 4 and arethen clinched over.

A latching bolt designated generally at I5 is slidably fitted in thecasing and is guided by the front and rear walls and the top portion ofthe flange l2. The latching bolt has an extension it which is slidablyengaged in and projects beyonda notch l2 in the flange l2 and isformed.- at its outer end with an outwardly turned extremity grip. Thefront and rear walls of the casing flatly engage the side faces of thelatching bolt and the straight portion of the upper part of the latchingbolt slidably engages the upper part of the flange l2.

A generally U-shaped spring is also disposed in the casing and is soconstituted and combined with the casing and with the latching bolt asto serve three functions, namely, as a spring for biasing the latchingbolt to latching position, as a dog for holding or looking it in lockedposition, and as a tumbler cooperable with a key to enable the spring tobe shifted from a position wherein it dogs or looks the bolt to aposition wherein it merely serves as a spring for biasing the bolt tolatching position. The spring 2B has a body portion 2!, a short leg 22,and a long leg 23. The legs 22 and 23 extend transversely with respectto the bolt and they are maintained in position and guided by means ofguide lugs 24, 25, 26, 21 and 28 and by means of the front and rearwalls of the casing and a portion of the flange l2. The parts are sorelated that the leg 23 of the spring always bears against the rear endof the latching bolt so as to bias it to latching position. The leg 22of the spring has its extremity laterally A metal cove-r H] completesthe case ll which serves as a finger bent as at 22' and designed tocoact with the notch 29 formed in the latching bolt I5. Thus asillustrated in Figure 2, the spring 20 may be shifted so that theextremity 22 of the leg 22 is received and engaged in the notch 29thereby locking the bolt in position. However, the spring may be shifteddownwardly to the position shown in Figures 5 and 6 wherein theextremity 22' of the leg 22 is located below the notch 29 and thelatching bolt is released so that it may be manually shifted to releasedposition. The leg 22 of the spring is provided with a V-shaped portion30 which is designed to coact with a key 3| which may be insertedthrough a keyhole slot 32 provided in the cover of the easing and alsointerengaged with an opening 33 formed in the rear wall of the casing tocenter the key.

The lid of the box is provided with a part cooperable with the combinedlatch and lock just described and such cooperable part usually comprisesa sheet metal stamping 40 which may be provided with prongs 4| to hitchit to the lid and which has a hook or catch 42 adapted to enter a slot43 provided in the upper part of the flange l2 and interengage with thelatching or looking projection 44 of the latching bolt l5. The hook orcatch 42 and the locking projection 44 are shaped and dimensioned asshown in the drawings so as to be self-latching when the catch dropsthrough the slot 43 and so as to'be positively interlocked when they areinterengaged in the manner illustrated in Figures 2 and 5.

The capacity of the spring 20 to exert a dogging or looking action isenhanced by the action of k the stops 2'! and 28 which stiffen thelocking extremity 22' of the leg 22 of the opening as well as guide it.The lug 24 serves to aid in guiding the latching bolt l5.

While I have shown and described one construction in which the inventionmay be advantageously embodied, it is to be understood that theconstruction shown has been selected merely for the purpose ofillustration or example and that various changes in the size, shape andarrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spiritof the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

The invention claimed is:

l. A combined latch and lock comprising a casing, a latching boltslidably mounted in said casing and having a portion projecting beyondthe casing and providing a finger grip, a U-shaped spring mounted insaid casing for sliding movement transversely with respect to saidlatching bolt, one leg of said spring being longer than the other andengagedwith one end of the latching bolt in all positions'of the springwhereby to bias the latching bolt to latching position, said latchingbolt having a notch in one edge, the shorter leg of said spring beingshiftable into and out of said notch, and means on the casing andslidably embracing the shorter leg of the spring adjacent the latchingbolt to provide a positive reinforcement for the portion of the springengageable with the notch of the bolt, one of the legs of the springhaving a V-shaped portion adapted to cooperate with the key whereby thespring may be shifted to and from dogging position.

2. A combined latch and lock comprising a casing, a latching boltslidably mounted in said casing, a U-shaped member slidably mounted insaid casing and moved transversely with respect to the latching bolt, atleast one of the legs of said U-shaped member being resilient and beingengaged with the latching bolt to bias it to latching position, theother leg of the spring being cooperable with the bolt to dog it whenthe U-shaped member is slid in one direction, one of said legs having aportion adapted to coact with a key.

3. A combined latch and lock comprising a casing, a latching boltslidably mounted in said casing, a generally U-shaped spring mounted insaid casing for sliding movement transversely with respect to saidlatching bolt, one leg of said spring being longer than the other andbeing engaged with one end of the latching bolt in all positions of thespring to bias the latching bolt to latching position, the latching bolthaving a notch in one edge, the shorter leg of said spring beingshiftable into and out of said notch, and guiding means within thecasing and engaged with the legs of the spring to constrain it tosliding movement transversely with respect to said latching bolt.

4. A combined latch and lock comprising a casing, a latching boltslidably mounted in said casing, a generally U-shaped spring mounted insaid casing for sliding movement transversely with respect to saidlatching bolt, one leg of said spring being longer than the other andbeing engaged with one end of the latching bolt in all positions of thespring to bias the latching bolt to latchin'g position, the latchingbolt having a notch in one edge, the shorter leg of said spring beingshiftable into and out of said notch, and guiding means within thecasing and engaged with the legs of the spring to constrain it tosliding movement transversely with respect to said latching bolt andincluding a lug engageable with the portion of the short leg of thespring adjacent that which is shiftable into the notch to provide apositive reinforcement for the portion of the spring having doggingengagement with the bolt.

5. A combined latch and lock comprising a casing, a latching boltslidably mounted in said casing, a generally U-shaped spring mounted insaid casing for sliding movement transversely with respect to saidlatching bolt, one leg of said spring being longer than the other andengaged with one end of the latching bolt in all positions of the springto bias the latching bolt to latching position, said latching bolthaving a notch in one edge, the shorter leg of said spring beingshiftable into and out of said notch, and fixed guide lugs disposed inthe casing and having sliding engagement with the legs of said spring toconstrain it to transverse sliding movement with respect to the bolt.

6. A combined latch and lock comprising a casing, a latching boltslidably mounted in said casing, a generally U-shaped spring mounted insaid casing for sliding movement transversely with respect to saidlatching bolt, one leg of said spring being longer than the other andengaged with one end of the latching bolt in all positions of the springto bias the latching bolt to latching position, said latching bolthaving a notch in one edge, the shorter leg of said spring having alaterally bent extremity adapted to be shifted into and out of doggingengagement with said notch, and means within the casing and slidablyembracing the legs of the spring to constrain the spring to slidingmovement transversely of the latching bolt.

- BERTHOLD THIELE.

